1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of this invention relate generally to apparatuses that can be used for clothing a baby, specifically for providing clothing that is adjustable to accommodate for changes in temperature during a single period of sleep. For the purposes of this application, the inventor uses the terms baby, infant and newborn interchangeably. In addition, the inventor uses the terms device and apparatus interchangeably.
2. Description of Related Art
A goal of clothing for babies is to allow the baby to be comfortable at all times but in particular during periods of sleep. It is popular for babies to wear one-piece clothing for convenience and to allow convenience for the caretaker to change the baby's diaper when necessary. Depending on the temperature, it is often desirable to use a blanket to keep the baby warm in colder environments or unzip the one-piece clothing or remove pieces of clothing to keep the baby cool in warmer environments. However, many pediatric experts recommend babies sleeping in a blanket-free environment to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Thus, the use of a loose blanket to keep a baby warm is modernly frowned upon and alternative methods of keeping a baby warm is recommended.
In warmer environments, although unzipping a one-piece clothing or removing pieces of clothing may allow the baby to be cooler, it does not solve the situation in which a change in temperature may cause the need to re-clothe the baby which may be inconvenient for the caretaker during a period of sleep for the baby. Adding or removing a piece of clothing to a baby during sleep also runs the risk of waking up the baby thereby interrupting the baby's sleep.
A variety of clothing apparatuses have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,246,392 to Schmid et. al. provides a wearable blanket and a swaddling accessory. The wearable blanket is in the form a Cover which can be used in conjunction of a swaddle accessory.
However, the prior art clothing lacks simple adjustment features and fails to provide a clothing apparatus which incorporates the benefits of clothing in the form of a wearable garment and a removable cover like blanket to accommodate changes in temperature.